In the midst of resume reviews and business suit tailoring for the career fair week, one group is taking professional networking to an entirely different stage.

Syracuse Area Music Awards is putting on its first Music Industry Conference (MIC) at the Convention Center at the Oncenter Complex this weekend. The two-day event, which starts Friday, will feature musical performances, guest speakers and workshops spread throughout the Syracuse area. Max Weinberg, the drummer for Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band and ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O’Brien,’ is one of two keynote speakers for the event, as well as one of the performers.

Managers, publicists, booking agents, record labels and other industry professionals will be on hand at the Oncenter Convention Center to answer questions and network with students. Local bands and artists will be performing at different venues around the city, including the Red House Arts Center, Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, and the Landmark Theatre.

Liz Nowak, founder of the MIC, said the musical atmosphere at the South By Southwest Conferences & Festivals inspired her to create the MIC.

‘When they first started out, their interest was that they thought their musicians were isolated from the industry, and their brainchild was to bring the industry to them,’ Nowak said. ‘And I thought, ‘Wow, wouldn’t it be great if we could bring a bunch of people here?’ It just grew from there.’

Shaking hands and handing out business cards is only one part of the event, Nowak said. Though the ’15-second elevator pitch’ is important for getting that dream job, the MIC is more than small talk and resumes, she said.

‘It’s an opportunity for a fan of music, someone who already has a career and is firmly planted in their dream job, and they love music,’ Nowak said. ‘We’ve provided an opportunity for them to experience all this.’

Josh Grabelle, an alumnus of Syracuse University and owner of record label Bullet Tooth Records (formerly Trustkill Records) will take part in a panel discussion about the future of record labels. For Grabelle, success in the music industry must stem from a passion in the arts. If the excitement is there, the financial success will eventually come.

‘If you look at all the successful labels right now, they’ve all grown organically,’ he said. ‘They all started in the bedrooms, dorm rooms or basements.’

A member of the Class of 1996, Grabelle graduated with a degree in policy studies and went on to graduate in 2001 from the College of Law. Though he admits the policy studies degree currently doesn’t help him, he uses his law knowledge on a daily basis.

‘Most of the music business is intellectual property. So it’s really, really critical,’ Grabelle said. ‘I think just having that background makes getting deals easier, people know that you’re not full of s***.’

Throughout the day, the conference will offer numerous discussions and presentations, including Martin Atkins’ ‘Welcome to the Music Industry, You’re F*@$#d.’ Nowak said that by showing a map of 7,000 bands playing in New York City on any given night, Atkins wants aspiring musicians to know somebody will always be better than them. He reinforces this idea by playing a clip of a 7-year-old who drums like a professional.

Though the MIC presents an opportunity to develop a business plan and meet new contacts, students looking to further their careers shouldn’t get caught up on the money aspect of it all, Grabelle said.

‘I never in a million years planned on running a label as my job, but it just kind of happened,’ Grabelle said. ‘I’ve seen a lot of labels come and go, blazing out of the box with investors, spending tons of money signing bands and buying up ads. I always sit back, look at it, knowing that they are going to crash and burn, and they always do.’

There’s a $5 admission price for a single night, off-venue performance. To get a wristband for all performances and, if space is available, Max Weinberg’s performance, it costs $25. A $50 general admission badge will get people first-priority access to all the shows.

Though Grabelle hadn’t been thoroughly briefed on the MIC, he promised not to show up empty-handed.

Said Grabelle: ‘I’m ready with an arsenal of information, as long as people want to listen to me.’

akgould@syr.edu

 

Published on October 6, 2010 at 12:00 pm